By Habil Onyango
The establishment of the 47 county governments in Kenya has brought several issues to light, including concerns over corruption and ethnic biases in employment.
Some prominent leaders, including the former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who played key roles in the creation of Kenya’s new constitution—establishing these devolved units—are now advocating for a reduction in their number.
They argue that having so many counties contributes to corrupt practices within the devolved system.
However, reducing their number could potentially undermine the service delivery successes that these counties have achieved.
Odinga has proposed a three-tier governance system comprising National, Regional, and County levels.
“The time has come for the country to re-examine the whole issue of devolution,” Odinga stated during the Katiba at 15 national celebrations on 27 August.
He pointed out, “In my view, Kenya is too small for 47 devolved units; we have just five counties compared to the vast number in the United States.”
FCPA Hezborn Omollo has pointed out that while Kenya’s 47 counties were designed to bring the government closer to the people, two decades later, the system appears to be strained.
He remarked that Kenyans have not received the adequate services that were intended with devolution.
“We are neither witnessing smooth delivery of services nor the grassroots development envisioned by devolution,” he noted.
Omollo highlighted the prevalence of bloated staffing rosters and increasing wage bills, often attributed to the notion that counties are “too small.”
He stressed that the core challenge facing devolution is not geographical but rather one of governance.
“County assemblies and executives have routinely failed to translate budgets into tangible outcomes,” he explained.
According to Omollo, Auditor-General reports indicate a troubling trend: funds are allocated, contracts are awarded, yet performance targets are frequently missed.
“When a constituency is genuinely underserved, the instinct should not be to redraw boundaries but to hold leaders accountable for unrealistic staffing levels and ineffective service plans,” he asserted.
He said that managing 47 semi-autonomous administrations incurs significant overhead costs.
“It is essential to implement caps on wage bills at 35 per cent, linking them to performance metrics, while also capping operational costs,” he said.
He said that counties that cannot justify their payroll should not be allowed to increase it, nor should they be permitted to sit on unspent or misallocated funds.
Further, Omollo revealed that rethinking boundaries as a catch-all solution risks diverting attention from the critical issue of leadership quality.
He said that instead of debating whether Kenyans need fewer or more counties, they must demand transparent budgeting, credible development plans, and prompt consequences for those who fail to perform.
He said that civil society, the media, and citizens must heighten scrutiny, from cash-flow dashboards to town hall scorecards.
“If 47 counties are unable to sustainably provide basic health services, roads, and water projects, it is not the number of counties that is the problem, but rather the absence of strong civic pressure,” he said.
“Devolution was never intended to shield mismanagement; it was designed to empower communities,” added the FCPA.
“It is time to remind our leaders of this promise and demand that they either fulfil their responsibilities or step aside,” said Omollo.
